Chasing a Ghost
by Xantern
Summary: After Roxas rejoins with Sora, Axel sets out to find the body that contains his lost love. Upon finding Sora, Axel joins him in his quest for finding his friends, in the hope that he will see Roxas once again. Story loosely follows the main plot-line of Kingdom Hearts 2, with exceptions such as: No outlandish Disney characters.
1. Prologue

**So it probably wasn't the best idea in terms of productivity, but I've started another fic! This one is a lot more serious than my other ongoing story, Something New. I'm hoping this story will be a bit more interesting, but don't worry, I haven't given up on the other one, I was simply dying to write this and see what you all think. Enjoy! Oh yeah, disclaimer and all that: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. :p**

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My name is Axel. Well, at least it is now. I can't remember my true name, but that's hardly important at this point. Somewhere along the line, I lost my way, and with it, my name. I found my way into a group of people like me. They gave me a new identity, and more importantly, a purpose. We went on missions and fought dark creatures, all in the pursuit of regaining what we had lost; our hearts. It was a dismal existence, the more I look back on it, but it was all I had. There was no family to go back to, no friends. No. Like my name, they were lost as well. Time became meaningless as days melted into weeks, and months into years. The only motivation was the possibility that I may have returned to my original existence. And with that goal in mind, I would have fought on forever.

But things changed when he arrived. There wasn't much about him that really stood out; just another empty vessel joining our quest for fulfillment. As my luck would have it, he was put under my disinterested wing. I was to show him the ropes of life as a Nobody. We traveled to several worlds, building his skills in combat and reconnaissance. For the first week or so, he was silent, regardless of my attempts at conversation and friendly approaches. Well- I deemed them friendly, but according to the man up top, we are incapable of being friendly.

Eventually, he spoke. The words were nothing special, and the tone they were spoken in was hardly surprising. His voice was as pitiful as his disposition had been since he arrived. With more time in the Organization though, he gained his confidence, becoming more accessible socially. I was amazed at how well we began to get along. I hadn't hit it off with anyone like this since-

Soon we began to spend as much time as we could together. We requested team missions, and when that didn't go over with the top dogs, we still met for ice cream at the end of each day. The conversations we had up on that clock tower- they were nothing special, but under that nostalgia inducing sun that would set at each meeting, a bond was strengthening.

It still bothers me up to this moment. How I felt these feelings, when I wasn't supposed to feel anything in the first place. Perhaps they were simply imitations of emotions, but they were real enough to act upon. I made the first move.

It was his first day off. He came to me, confused about the concept of not working. It was pretty damn adorable. I had been planning on simply sleeping through the day, but his presence begged for me to do otherwise. So we went to where we always went. Twilight Town: a relatively simple world in comparison to some of the other places I've traveled. But at sunset, you couldn't find a more magical view. You'd think for a day off, we would do something different, explore the town or something. But we were just as content to stick with our daily ritual.

He was talking about how long he had been part of the Organization. Apparently, he had been counting the days. The number escapes me now, but I was impressed by his will to hold onto something connecting him to his past life. Maybe this was what prompted me to do what I did, or maybe it was the way the sun hit his skin. Maybe a combination of both. Either way, the outcome was the same.

A kiss.

He was hesitant at first, which is understandable. But the more time we spent together, the more natural these romantics became. We were inseparable. Our passion grew day by day as we defied the characteristics of a Nobody that our leader had tried so hard to convince us were true. This passion- it soon became love.

Few members of the Organization realized what was going on, but there was one who was perceptive enough to pick up on the signs, though he kept mum, as he knew the extent of my abilities.

All was well. Hell it was better than well, it was perfect. Our main objective hardly seemed important any more, for he and I were all we needed. Every day was a dream, filled with soft euphoria. But I suppose all good things must come to an end sooner or later.

Her arrival, like his, was nothing special, but it certainly caught his attention. He sympathized with her, as he knew her struggles and her pain. He brought her in to our lives, brought her to the clock tower and on our missions. Their friendship grew, and in order to keep him mine, I played along. But she was an abomination. A mistake. A bomb, unstable and ready to blow at any minute. The details are fuzzy on my end, but she was an experiment, tied to him in one way or another.

Eventually she snapped. In her irrationality, her insanity, or whatever you want to call it, she tried to end him. Upon the discovery of her origin, she believed that his death would lead to her completion. But to my relief, he was stronger.

I thought that would be the end of the interruption. I thought now my perfect life would resume. But I was wrong. Distraught, by her destruction and his special abilities, he left us. He left me. Deaf to my pleas and warnings, he left. If only I had fought harder.

His departure stirred up much trouble within the Organization and the worst-case scenario that I had imagined became a reality. If he was beyond hope, no longer able to return to us, then he would be destroyed. As if this wasn't bad enough, I was assigned the mission of his recovery or destruction. A part of me still believes that the Superior knew what this would do to me.

So I followed his trail, though it ended rather soon. It seemed he had been intercepted by an opposing party, and taken to their headquarters. I later learned that they had placed him in a simulated version of our beloved Twilight Town. What a cruel joke. Entering his fake world, I watched him. Longingly.

He seemed happy. I wasn't with him, but he seemed happy, living out his fake life with his fake friends in his fake town. It sickened me. But I couldn't give up hope. When the time was right, I revealed myself to him. His bewilderment was evident in his expression. That was enough to let me know that his memories had been erased, but I held out longer, hoping that I could recover him. Despite my best efforts at stirring up his emotions and memories, he turned on me. Not only could he not remember me, but he turned on me. He saw me as an enemy.

My heart all but broke. Forgive me. What felt like my heart all but broke. We fought tooth and nail and with each exchange of blows I felt my legs threatening to give out, my eyes beginning to water. He was so close, yet so far away. It came to a stalemate, and though I knew what had to be done, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I retreated, back to the castle, telling my fellow members that he was too strong for me to overcome.

Days passed and my faux depression deepened. I wanted so desperately to get him back. But it was beyond my jurisdiction. In our next Organization meeting, I was debriefed on the current situation. My presence and the presence of the opposing party in his digital world had driven him to confusion, followed by awareness, but his memories still remained shrouded. In his helplessness, he did the one thing I had subconsciously hoped would never happen. He became whole. He rejoined with his 'Somebody'.

Roxas, hang on. I haven't given up just yet.

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**A little short, I know, but that's simply the nature of the prologue. I hope to get my next chapter up after finals. Review if you have a comment or critique and let me know if you'd rather see the next chapter of this or the next chapter of Something New, assuming you've read it. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Setting Off

**So I spent most of my school day writing this one in my notebook, as I couldn't get it off my mind. Day well spent, if I may say so myself! Enjoy!**

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The spectral neon tracks seemed to go on forever, carrying the oddly colorful train to its destination. Though just from looking out the window, one wouldn't know where that destination was. I gazed out from within the astral vehicle, admiring the many stars and worlds in the distance. When my source had told me that there was another way to travel between worlds besides via dark portal, I had been skeptical. The last thing I had expected was public transportation. But sure enough, there it had been at Station Heights, Twilight Town.

A pang of sadness tugged at the spot where my heart should have been. Just thinking of the town reminded me of its digital imitation. And thinking of its digital imitation reminded me of-no, I wouldn't think about that now. It was time to focus on the future ahead. Finding Sora was what mattered now. I couldn't get sidetracked by longings of the past.

I glanced around the cabin, looking for something to occupy my time. I had already planned out what I would do when I reached my target, so there wasn't much to focus on. The interior of the train was just as gaudy as the exterior. Purple walls with star-shaped windows and an orange carpet were all the company I had. No other passenger was aboard, though that didn't come as much of a surprise. Considering why I'm here, I can't imagine what other kind of characters would be on this ridiculous hunk of meal.

After switching back and forth between sitting, standing, and lying down, I finally gave up with comfort and pressed my face against the window, hoping for some sign of progress in my travels. To my surprise, as I was used to disappointment by now, there in the very distance was a growing speck. As the train closed the gap, it began to take more shape. No doubt, it was another world, the only noticeable feature a single edifice that stood alone among forest. This was it. If my source was correct, and he usually was, then this was where I would Sora.

The mystical locomotive came to a hissing halt at the edge of the forest. The change in texture was noticeable, even though I was wearing boots, as I hopped off the train. I could just barely make out the top of the tower that Sora was supposed to be in over the looming trees that stood before me. I was lucky my destination was so blatant.

Wasting no time, I began to jog through the forest. Sora would only be stopping through here for a short amount of time. If I didn't catch him now, then I would have to wait for the next train, and I had no idea where that would be or even if it would take me to the right place.

I stopped dead in my tracks as I heard the all too familiar sound of writhing, squirming darkness. Swiftly I jumped behind the closest tree. Luckily its width was great enough to conceal me from sight. I peered out from behind the tree, attempting to further identify the threat. Seven. I counted again. There were seven Soldier heartless. I cursed under my breath. As easy as it would be to take these guys out, I had to refrain from fighting. No doubt my flaming chakrams would set this forest ablaze, revealing my presence. No, I had to do this quietly. If Sora knew I was coming-or worse, the Wizard-then my efforts would be all but wasted. Remembering back to my earlier training in the Organization, I pressed forth, running deeper into the forest with silent footsteps. This was going to take a lot out of me, but if I ever wanted to find Sora, if I ever wanted to see _him_ again, then this had to go without a hitch.

After several more close encounters with the heartless, I reached the end of the forest. Casting a shadow over me, and probably fifty feet of forest behind me, was a magnificent, yet oddly designed tower. It looked to be on the verge of falling over. But now wasn't the time to reflect on architecture.

After cracking my knuckles, I took a long inhale and breathed out slowly. There would be no point in going inside, for the Wizard would surely prove an inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. After all, he was a keyblade master. Retired, granted, but still a keyblade master in terms of strength. Something colorful peeking out from the other side of the tower caught my eye. In a crouch, I approached the tower and shimmied across the perimeter, body pressed against it as to avoid exposure. I knew I looked like a complete idiot, but like I said-without a hitch.

In my fear of being discovered from above, I neglected to actually look where I was going. So imagine my surprise and unbelievably loud shout when my face collided with metal. I fell on my ass and looked up to find a large ship of sorts. As if that train hadn't been obnoxious enough, this thing screamed, "I was designed by a toddler!" It was bulky in shape, which made aerodynamics seem unlikely and was painted in several colors. Red, yellow, green, blue- really, it looked so outlandish, it couldn't possibly belong in this realm, or any other. It must have been how he traveled between worlds.

My eyes widened and my blood froze as the creek of a door broke the midnight silence. I cursed under my breath. He wasn't supposed to come out of the tower this early! I needed to adapt here. I knew I could handle this; after all, I had been through worse.

Without thinking I jumped behind the nearest shrubbery, held my breath, and waited. There he was, striding towards his ship with arms held behind his head nonchalantly. Sora. He looked pretty much the same as he had back at Castle Oblivion, though he wore different clothes. They actually fitted him and I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. Audibly. Shit.

He turned his head. I had to move now! Without hesitation, I let my instincts take over and sprung from my hiding place, sprinting towards my target. He let out a, "Huh?" in confusion, but it wasn't enough to alert the inhabitants of the tower. Before he could say anything else, I pounced on him, bringing the key bearer to the ground with one of my gloved hands over his mouth. My free one lifted a finger to my lips, suggesting he remain silent.

Surprisingly, he took my advice. Then again, considering he was trapped beneath the weight of my body, he didn't have much of a choice. "Now listen carefully," I whispered intensely, "I am _not_ your enemy. Forget what that old man said. I am _not_ your enemy. Nod if you understand." Sora nodded, though his eyes were squinted in distrust and skepticism. This was going relatively well though. If he still had his memories from Castle Oblivion, he would have already summoned his keyblade.

I continued my pitch in a calmer tone, "I know who you are and what you're capable of. Like you, I'm looking for someone and I believe we can help each other out." His eyes began to relax, indicating he was now listening with an open mind. "I know the dangers that await you on your journey and you won't survive on your own. You need a companion of equal strength, and with an equal goal in mind, our cooperation will ultimately act in both our favors."

I felt Sora's body relax beneath me. That period of sleep must have matured Sora in one way or another. Looking back to the whole C.B. Incident, he had been headstrong and reckless; ready to fight whatever he deemed 'evil'. I sighed in relief. That hard part was over.

"Now I'm going to take my hand off your mouth, _if_ you promise not to scream. The nodding system will do." Sora nodded. "Now if you break your promise, you'll have to deal with the consequences." As backing for my threat, I flicked my free wrist and in the subtlest wisp of flame I could emit, summoned one of my chakrams. His eyes widened at the glowing gleam of heated metal. I thanked the stars he didn't catch my bluff.

My original plan was simply to exercise Sora, so that he would split into two entities: A heartless and a Nobody. And that Nobody would be Roxas. But I was regretfully informed by my inside source that there was no guarantee said plan would work. There was no certainty that Sora's elimination would result in Roxas' rebirth. Even if it did, it's possible that Roxas would return with an altered personality. Why did hearts have to be so complicated?

And so, I had done the unthinkable. I did the very thing I had told Roxas not to do that day. I left the Organization. I didn't make a scene and go out fighting or anything like that. I simply never came back from my last mission. In the minds of my fellow Nobodies, I'm still back in Agrabah, hunting a group of Neoshadows.

"So we understand each other." He nodded yet again. I sighed, hoping he wouldn't try anything. Hesitantly I lifted my hand from his mouth. He did nothing. I stood up and extended my hand. He took it gratefully with a smile so genuine it burned a little. I hoisted him up onto the ground and whispered, "We can speak once we get onto that ship of yours."

He nodded, still smiling confidently, leading the way towards the lowered ramp of the ship. Why was he so trusting of me, so ready to go along with my proposition? Maybe a better question would be: why am I not basking in the success of my plan? Things couldn't be going smoother, yet it seemed I was more cautious than he was.

Once we were inside he approached a wide board of flashing buttons and pulleys. I could already feel the seizure coming. He pulled a blue lever towards him and with smooth hiss of what sounded like hydraulics, the ramp lifted to a close. More beeps and boops emitted from the control board as he typed in codes, flipped switches, and pressed a variety of buttons. The ship shook, almost causing me to lose my balance, but I caught myself. A great roar of what I assume was the rockets sounded from outside. Slowly it began to lift into the air, rising higher and higher at an accelerated pace before the nose of the ship lifted into a 30 degree angle and blasted off.

"That should get us to our first destination in half an hour." Said Sora, grinning at his mechanical prowess, "I'm Sora, by the way," he said reaching his hand out for me to shake. I did. Normally I wouldn't have but this kid had an inviting air about him. "And you are?"

"Axel," I said curtly, "So where's our first destination?"

"Hollow Bastion!" Sora said excitedly, "I have some friends there that can help us out."

"Never heard of it." I wasn't feeling too talkative and though I didn't like the idea of getting involved with other people, I had to go along with Sora's journey no matter whom or what it involved. If I wanted him to trust me, this was how it would have to be.

"So who is your friend?" he asked with young curiosity.

"What?"

"The person you're looking for."

Did I dare say his name aloud? No. My voice would surely betray me. It hadn't occurred to me that Sora would inquire about _him_. He was so hell-bent on finding his friends back at C.B., I figured he would only be focused on his own goals. Perhaps I should have put more thought into this. No, it was too late for that. No going back. I simply had to work my way around this. Make things about him.

"Ah don't worry about," I dismissed casually, hoping to make him more comfortable around me. "Right now, our priority is finding _your _friends."

Sora tilted his head in confusion, "Oh. Well ok then."

I knew he lacked perception. I filed that little note in my mental cabinet for later. "So who are _you _looking for," I said, turning the spotlight to the brunette teenager, "They've gotta be important if you've set out on this big journey with a total stranger." I knew who his friends were, but I had to act oblivious. In his mind, we've never met.

He nodded with enthusiasm, "Riku and Kairi! We've been best friends for as long as I can remember, but then we were separated," his voice adopted a more severe tone, "Our Island was torn apart by the darkness, sending us to different worlds. I found them again, but we got separated shortly after that." His ocean blue eyes were distant and hazed over. This kid knew the pain that loss brought. That much was clear.

"Hey, chin up," I said reassuringly, "I promise, we'll find your friends." My acting was improving greatly. I almost sounded like I had a heart.

"Thanks, Axel," Sora said, already recovering from his little flashback, "I promise we'll find your friend to!"

I smiled and thanked him. If only he knew what that entailed.

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**Still pretty short, I know, but it felt appropriate to end there. Please review or tell your fellow Kh fanatics about this fic. It won't grow unless people are actually reading it. Thanks a bunch! Hollow Bastion, here we come!**


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